EFFECT OF ATRAZINE ADMINISTRATION ON SPONTANEOUS AND EVOKED CEREBELLAR ACTIVITY IN THE RAT

The effect of atrazine oral administration on cerebellar forelimb proj ection area was studied in rats in vivo. Rats acutely treated with atr azine (100 mg kg(-1), BW) showed a significant decrease in spontaneous Purkinje cell firing rate. Atrazine also decreased the cerebellar pot entials evoked by electrical stimulation of the ipsilateral radial ner ve, affecting mostly the response to climbing fiber input. These resul ts demonstrate that atrazine exerts a toxic action on central nervous system. The effects on the cerebellar somatosensory cortex could be re sponsible for motor disorders frequently observed in animals intoxicat ed with atrazine. (C) 1997 The Italian Pharmacological Society.